The season of Lent was a time of preparation, a time to pray, to fast, to give alms, to deny ourselves. Why? To break our earthly bonds.

I like to ask a lot of questions

Now we are in the season of Easter, and what we celebrate is His resurrection from the dead.

Again, why did Jesus have to die? After all he is the Word made flesh, the God man, born of the Virgin. And because he is God, he can rise from the dead. So why must He die?

The perfect example of humanity. In order for us to live our humanity to its fullest, we have to suffer and die like Christ, so that we can share in his eternity.

Christ dies to defeat death. Sounds like a contradiction. How can death defeat death? Well He died a physical death so that the spiritual life could flourish. Opening the Gates of Heaven with his ascension.

All of use will experience physical death, that is certain.

Another certainty is when we sin we will experience a spiritual death, and forever loose salvation won for us.

When we sin Satan wins.

Here is great news, here is the awesome news, here is absolute truth. He will forgive our sins. He will forgive our sins. Guess what, we only need to ask.

CCC 1184 – The sacraments are efficacious signs of grace, instituted by Christ, by which divine life is dispensed to us. –– They bear fruit in those who receive them with the required dispositions.

The power of God even when we sin.

Acts – Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be wiped away

Long lines at the confessional – where are they?

Why go to confession? To have your sins forgiven. To have a taste of divine life in this existence. Divine life now. Why would you not want to go to confession?

I know part of the answer, the traumatization we experienced of the box growing up.

My own experience of the confessional after 30 years.

The grace I have as a priest hearing confessions.

“I did not call them the 10 suggestions” – God. → these are the rules for life to set us free, free from death, free from the power Satan.

These are very real. We have to respect God and his name. You have to go to Mass. Respect you elders and those in legitimate authority. Stop hating, start forgiving. Intimate relations outside of marriage, no birth control. Jealousy, covetousness, stealing.

The Church is just a bunch of rules, thou shalt nots. If you are thinking that then you really need to reevaluate your relationship with Jesus.

St John – "Those who say, I know him, but do not keep his commandments / are liars,

St John, "We have an advocate" Christ brings these commandments, the old covenant to completion, to perfection in himself.

When we blatantly disregard what Christ taught, what the Church continues to teach, we turn our back on God.

Our common flaw, we are human, we make mistakes. That is why he died for us. To rescue us from our frailty. To live the life he has show us.

The cross. It is necessary for our own salvation. Without the cross, no salvation. No one every said that life is easy. But with Jesus' help, the path has already been cleared for us.

So the Mass continues. Together we offer the Perfect Sacrifice, the Son to the Father. Why?

For our salvation, so that sins can be forgiven. That we may have a taste of divine life now to help us on our journey.